Container for sheaf-loaders



R. B. MASON.

CONTAINER FOR SHEA! LOADERS.

APPLICATION FILED mm. X, 1919.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH B. MASON, F SOMERSET, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTAINER FOR SHEAF-LOADERS.

Application fil ed March 1, 1919. Serial No. 280,028.

of Somerset, in the county of Somerset and tuated,

State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Containers for sheaf-Loaders, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

My inventlon relates to improvements in sheaf containers for sheaf loaders, and it consists in the constructions, combinations and arrangements herein described and claimed.

One of the foremost objects of my invention is to provide a novel form of bottom for the container, which conslsts of a plurality of independently movable conveyers, which can be separately actuated to shift the load into more advantageous positions and in any desired manner. Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanically actuated gate cooperating with the movable bottom of the container, the gate being adjustable either high or low to regulate the quantity of sheaves discharged.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the container, parts being broken away,

2 is a detail view showing the mdependent driving connections for the several bottom conveyers and the end gate,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2, showing enough of the independent driving mechanismsto illustrate how each of the plurality of conveyers can beseparately ac- Fig. 4 is a detail view of the engine shaft extensions, and

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

This application is based on a co-pending application for a patent on agricu tural implements, filed March 2, 1918, Serial Number 219,990, and the present invention is an improvement in the corresponding part in said co-pending application.

The container 1 in Fi 1, may be called a wagon structure since it is mounted on wheels whereby it can be moved from place to place. The container 1 comprises a suitable frame,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1920.

A platform 48 is disposed at an angle at.

the front of the container. This platform is mentioned only incidentally and is used to support parts of a conveyer mechanism that conveys the sheaves into the container. This mechanism however, forms no part of the present invention. The bottom of the container 1 is composed of a plurality of conveyers or endless aprons which in the present instance comprises two pairs 5 5 and 6, 6. The arrangement is shown better in Fig. 3. It will be understood that by reason of the transverse alinement of the two pairs of conveyers in Fig. 9., only the ones 5 and 6 nearest the observer can be seen. The clutch operating levers have been drawn so as to illustrate that the driving mechanism is duplicated in the case of each pair of conveyers.

The bottom of the container is purposely divided in the manner shown, so that the weight of the load of sheaves accumulated in the container may be distributed over more than one support, consequently deriving an advantage of considerable in'iportance in this device. This feature will be enlarged upon later, where the importance thereof will be more fully appreciated.

Each endless apron or conveyor moves the employment of belts for the conveyers.

Chains might be used equally as well in plare of the belts, and in such an instance, sprockets would be employed in place of the rollers. Mince this construction is believed to be an obvious modification, no illustration is made.

Low cleats 9 are attached crosswise of the endless belts. High cleats 9 are also attached to the belts at regular intervals. By

arranging the low and high cleats as clearly shown in Fig. S2, troughs are provided, as it were, in which the sheaves rest as shown. The shafts l0 and ll of the adjacent rollers in the middle of the container, project at one side of the container and have bevel gears 12 and 13 secured thereto.

The roller 8 nearest the observer in the case of both the top and bottom conveyer, is fixed on a sleeve 8 as shown in Fig. 3. Here the sleeve 8"" is mounted on the shaft 10, and projects to receive a gear 12. The lowermost sleeve 8 is similarly mounted on the shaft 11, and projects to receive the gear 12 Obviously by this arrangement, the various rollers can be made to turn separately. I

Drive shafts 14 and 14% mounted in suitable bearings, respectively have gears 15 and 15 that mesh with the gears 12 and 12 of the shaft 10 and sleeve 8 of the upper rollers. These drive shafts are each made in two parts. The parts having the bevel gears 15 and 15, have fixed clutch members 16 with which'the movable clutch members 17 on the other parts of the shafts cooperate.

Drive shafts 18 and18 are similarly made in two parts and provided with gears 19 and 19" that mesh with the gears 13 and 12 on the shaft 11 and sleeve 8. Fixed and movable clutch members 19 and 20 are similarly provided on each shaft. The various clutch members just described are friction clutches. Clutches of this kind are necessary in order to permit the running of the aprons at various speeds by pressing the movable members of the various clutches with varying degrees of tightness. The various drive shafts 18, 18 14 and 14 have bevel gears 22, 22, 23 and 23 -on the opposite ends. Each of these meshes with an independent gear 24 on the extended crank shaft 25 of an engine or motor 26.

Clutch levers 2'7, 27, and 28, 28 are pivoted on the adjacent side 2 and engage the movable clutch members 17 and 20 of the various drive shafts. Links 29, 29 and 30, 30 connected to the upper ends of the clutch levers, terminate at handles 31. These handles are pivoted in convenient reach of an operator in a seat 32 which he occupies in unloading the container. By shifting one or the other of the handles, the corresponding one of the endless aprons or conveyers is made to move and advance the sheaves toward the discharge opening of the container.

Here the important feature previously referred to, will become more apparent. First of all, the operator is able to better control the quantity of sheaves discharged from the container. The choking of the sheaf distributer with which the container is intended to cooperate, is thus prevented. Should it be found that the load in the container is heavier on one side, or heavier on any of the four ends, than it ought to be to balance the load evenly, the operator needs simply to pull the proper clutch lever so as to set the corresponding conveyer in motion shifted by a handle 45.

and shift the load backwardly until a balance is reached.

It is thus obvious that any load can be discharged from the container by mechanical operation, even though the bottom is perfectly flat. The function of the conveyers is furthered by a low partition 32. This partition runs the entire length of the container and divides the two pairs of (onveyers.

A sheaf discharge gate 33 controls the discharge opening of the container. The gate 33 is set in a short distance from the extremity of the lower pair of endless aprons. The raising and lowering of the gate is effected by power from the engine 26. A rack 34 is fixed near the top of the gate at each side. A pinion 35 at each end. of a common shaft 36, meshes with each of the racks.

A bevel gear 37 is mounted on the end of the shaft 36 nearest the observer. A bevel gear 38 on a counter-shaft 39, meshes with the gear 37. The shaft 39 includes a longer shaft section 40 which is connected thereto by a universal joint 41, and the shaft 40 is driven from the engine shaft 25 by engaging gears 42.

Fixed and movable clutch members 43 and 44 are carried by the counter-shaft 39. The movable clutch member 44 can be The distance to which it may be desired to elevate the gate 33, is regulated by the length of time the movable clutch member 44 is permitted to remain in engagement with the member 43.

When the desired height of the gate 33 is obtained, the clutch member 44 is again thrown out. In order to retain the gate in its elevated position, (since obviously it will again drop by its weight when the clutch is thrown out), a brake band 43 is applied to the fixed shaft section clutch 43.

Upon the proper depression of the handle 43 of the brake band, the clutch 43 and its companion shaft section can be locked.

I claim 1. Load shifting means for a sheaf loader, comprising a plurality of independently uni-directionally movable conveyer shafts, a conveyer actuated by each, and means actuated from one place for independently operating said shafts to produce a sideling load movement.

2. In a sheaf loader, a container includ ing a discharge gate, a longitudinal plurality of transverse pairs of conveyers, and means actuated from a common location for operating the conveyers independently or simultaneously, to either shift the load obliquely or en masse toward the discharge gate.

3. A sheaf loader, comprising a container with a discharge gate, a longitudinal plurality of transverse pairs of conveyers, and

means for actuating any one or all of the conveyors to produce a variable or uniform motion of the load toward the discharge gate.

4. Instrumentalities in a wagon structure for discharging a load Without tilting the structure or removing the bottom, comprising a container with a central partition, a rear-most pair of conveyers, a foremost pair of conveyers having the rear-most ends overlapping the foremost ends of the rearmost pair of conveyers, and means for actuating any one or all of the conveyers at will, to transfer a load on said conveyors rearwardly.

In a container for sheaf loaders, a pair of rcarrnost conveyers including front rollers, one of the rollers having a sleeve and the other having a shaft extending through the sleeve and providing a mounting for the sleeve roller; a foremost pair of conveyers disposed in a plane above the rearlnost pair, with back rollers located above the front rollers of said rearmost pair of conveyers, one of said back rollers having a sleeve and the other having a shaft extending through said sleeve; gears affixed to each of the respective shafts and sleeves, driving means including an engine with an extended shaft and a plurality of gears, and driving connection between each of said engine gears and the gears of the respective shafts and sleeves, said driving connections each including a two part shaft with fixed and'sliiftable clutch. connections enabling the independent operation of Gitt'tliOf the conveyers.

RALPH B. MASON. 

